He was expected to be a first-round pick but then tore the ACL in his left knee at Xavier and fell to the second round of the 2017 NBA Draft. He became the first player in Pacers franchise history to sign a two-way contract, with Year 1 essentially being a redshirt season.

When Victor Oladipo went down with a season-long injury on Jan. 26, Sumner was summoned from the G League by Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan and made his first start against the Golden State Warriors two nights later — and he went against All-Star Klay Thompson.

Welcome to the NBA, kid.

The Pacers then reaffirmed their confidence in him when they converted his two-way contract into an NBA deal in mid-February, nearly one year after he lost his brother, Ernest Jr., to cancer.

Leading up to June 29, when the Pacers had to decide whether to exercise the 2019-20 team option on his deal, the front office...